While children's developmental outcomes have been thoroughly examined in relation to the mother, little is known about the associations between other familial subsystems and children's problem behaviors. This study aimed to adopt a family system approach by examining the associations between both individual and combined measures of mother-child and father-child attachment, the quality of parental alliance, and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Attachment was assessed using the Cassidy-Marvin Preschool Attachment Classification System with both parents and their preschool-aged children (N = 137). The quality of the parental alliance was measured using the Parental Alliance Inventory, and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Multivariate analyses of covariances results show the importance of assessing attachment with both parent-child dyads as only father-child organized insecurity was linked to children's externalizing behaviors, and a secure mother-child attachment did not act as a buffer for an insecure father-child attachment when it came to children's externalizing behaviors. Results also highlight the need to distinguish organized insecurity and disorganization in statistical analyses as the insecure father-child dyads exhibited significantly higher externalizing behavior scores than their disorganized counterparts. No significant associations were found between attachment measures, children's internalizing behaviors, and parental alliance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

To prevent young children’s injuries, studies have considered both child (e.g., temperament, age, sex) and parent factors (e.g., parental supervision and style, attachment) associated with risk-taking behaviors. Building on risk-taking theory literature, Jonas and Kochanska (Jonas Kochanska, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 46:1573–1583, 2018) adapted the dual systems model (Steinberg, Developmental Review 28:78–106, 2008) to children and suggested that risk-taking propensity arises from an imbalance between the overactivation of the child’s socioemotional system (sensation seeking or traits of surgency) and the lower cognitive control system (lack of self-regulation or of effortful control). However, from an intergenerational transmission perspective, it is relevant to consider the role both parents’ and the children’s socioemotional and cognitive control systems have on a child’s risk-taking behaviors. The current longitudinal study is the first to examines sensation seeking and lack of self-regulation in parents in addition to the child’s surgency-effortful control imbalance to understand the child’s risk-taking behaviors. The sample comprised 177 two-parent families (89 boys) observed at two time points (child age ranges: 12–18 months and 24–30 months). Both parents provided sociodemographic information and completed self-reported questionnaires on sensation seeking and self-regulation, child’s temperament and risk-taking behaviors. Results showed that fathers’ higher sensation-seeking and mothers’ lack of self-regulation were associated with higher children’s risk-taking behaviors. After controlling for these parent factors and child sex, child surgency-effortful imbalance was strongly associated with higher children’s risk-taking behaviors. An adapted dual systems model including both parents (sensation seeking and self-regulation) and children (surgency-effortful imbalance) seems a promising avenue to a fuller understanding of children’s risk-taking behaviors.

Adopting a family system perspective, this study sets out to explore the association between family configurations of mother-child and father-child attachment to better understand children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors in toddlerhood. A total of 182 heterosexual biparental families and their children (90 boys) were recruited from the general population. Most of the fathers and mothers were Canadian-born and the personal income and education level of the parents were high in comparison to the population of the province of Quebec at large. Attachment was assessed by direct observation using the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) in infants aged 12–18 months. Children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed in toddlers aged 24–30 months using questionnaires completed by both parents. Results showed that infants with resistant attachment to one parent and secure attachment to the other parent have more externalizing behaviors than children with a secure attachment to both parents. Moreover, children with a disorganized attachment to both parents showed more internalizing and externalizing problems than children with a disorganized attachment with one parent and secure with the other parent. These results highlight the need of adopting a systemic family perspective to better understand the link between attachment and children’s behavior problems.

Boys are known to take more risks than girls, which may lead them to suffer more injuries than girls when exploring their physical surroundings. The aims of this study are to verify whether the father-child activation relationship has a greater effect than the mother-child activation relationship on preschoolers' risk-taking, and whether both of these relationships are a greater predictor of risk-taking in boys than in girls. Activation relationships were assessed using a standardized observation procedure at 15 and 45 months old with each parent. Both parents completed a questionnaire on their child's injury-risk behaviors during the preschool years. Both predictions were supported. Moreover, this longitudinal study found that preschoolers' risk-taking was predicted by mother-child overactivation in both infancy and preschool, whereas preschoolers' risk-taking was predicted by father-child overactivation in preschool alone, after controlling for parent-child overactivation relationships during infancy.

This study examines the stability of child attachment to mothers and fathers separately, and to both parents as a network between the infancy and preschool periods using a sample of 143 biparental families and their children (73 boys) recruited from the general population. Attachment was assessed at 15 months with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and at 45 months with the Preschool Attachment Classification Coding System (PACS). First, results show no stability in attachment to mothers, to fathers, or to both parents as a network. Second, parents' mental health, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and child externalizing behavior are associated with attachment stability. Taken altogether, group comparisons reveal that children with a stable secure attachment to both parents as a network have parents with higher levels of well-being and exhibit less problem behaviors than children with 1) a stable secure attachment to one parent and an unstable attachment to the other parent (from secure to insecure or from insecure to secure), or 2) who never had a stable secure attachment to either parent. This study highlights the significance of attachment to both parents as a network over time as it is associated with developmental outcomes.

La conception de la violence retenue par l’IRDS comprend tout autant la violence agie que la violence subie. Les solutions mises de l’avant pour en réduire les conséquences destructrices reposent sur les stratégies de recherche suivantes : 1) mieux connaître les divers torts subis par les enfants et l’évolution de cette problématique pour, entre autres, alerter la population et promouvoir les programmes d’intervention précoces; 2) mieux connaître les auteurs de la violence, les facteurs de risque dans l’environnement familial tels que les conflits conjugaux, les problèmes de santé mentale; 3) déterminer quels seraient les facteurs de protection tels que la stabilité des liens familiaux.

La conception de la violence retenue par l’IRDS comprend tout autant la violence agie que la violence subie. Les solutions mises de l’avant pour en réduire les conséquences destructrices reposent sur les stratégies de recherche suivantes : 1) mieux connaître les divers torts subis par les enfants et l’évolution de cette problématique pour, entre autres, alerter la population et promouvoir les programmes d’intervention précoces; 2) mieux connaître les auteurs de la violence, les facteurs de risque dans l’environnement familial tels que les conflits conjugaux, les problèmes de santé mentale; 3) déterminer quels seraient les facteurs de protection tels que la stabilité des liens familiaux.

Cet article a pour objectif de présenter une réflexion critique sur la notion de violence du point de vue de l’éthologie et de la psychologie évolutionniste. Les auteurs définissent la violence comme étant un jugement de valeur (un abus de pouvoir) fait sur une agression définie opérationnellement par tout comportement orienté (physique, gestuel, verbal, etc.) et non ludique qui peut porter atteinte à l’intégrité physique ou psychologique d’une autre personne. Ils ne sont donc pas d’accord avec les chercheurs qui considèrent la négligence parentale, les jeux de bataille et les jeux de guerre entre les enfants comme étant violents. Ils réagissent aussi défavorablement à la tendance de certains autres à considérer la punition corporelle parentale comme étant nécessairement violente. Les auteurs présentent ensuite les fonctions biologiques adaptatives de différents types d’agressions ainsi que plusieurs de leurs mécanismes naturels de régulation, puis ils abordent la question de la violence sous deux aspects : la violence est-elle typique de l’espèce humaine et l’homme est-il plus violent que la femme ? Les auteurs proposent un modèle sur les rapports de pouvoir (conjugal, parent-enfant, enfant-enfant) au sein de la famille qui pourrait permettre de mieux comprendre les conflits familiaux et leur influence possible sur le développement non seulement de l’agression chez l’enfant envers les pairs mais aussi de ses habiletés de compétition pour l’accès aux ressources de l’environnement. Ils concluent à l’aspect arbitraire de la morale et donc à l’importance de ne pas tenter de la justifier par la science.

To date, few researchers have focused on the role that the parent–child relationship can play in children’s risk-taking, and none has done so while taking into account the father-child relationship. This paper examines two types of parent–child relationships, the attachment relationship and the activation relationship, both of which are theoretically connected to children’s exploration of their physical and social environment. The first objective of this study was to verify the prediction that the parent–child activation relationship in infancy as assessed with the risky situation procedure (RS) would be associated with toddlers’ risk-taking behaviors, and that parent–child attachment relationship as assessed with the strange situation procedure (SSP) would not. The second objective was to verify the prediction that the mean risk-taking scores of children in overactivated dyads would be significantly higher than those of children in activated and underactivated dyads. The third objective was to test the prediction that father-child overactivation would have a greater effect on children’s risk-taking than mother–child overactivation would, especially for boys. One hundred eighty-two father-child and mother–child dyads underwent the RS and the SSP between the ages of 12 and 18 months, and both parents filled out the Injury Behavior Checklist to assess risk-taking behaviors at 24–30 months old. As expected, the results show that parent–child attachment is not associated with risk-taking and confirm the positive association between both mother–child and father-child overactivation and children’s risk-taking. Only father-child overactivation significantly predicted child risk-taking when both father-child overactivation and mother–child overactivation were included in the same model. Finally, the higher the mother–child overactivation score, the more boys take risks that can lead to injury. This could mean that boys are more sensitive than girls to lack of maternal supervision, at least at this young age.

Most studies interested in understanding the role of parents in children's school adjustment have focused on mothers. Given the importance of father-child play during the preschool period, this study explores the possible links of father-child rough-and-tumble play and also father's involvement in child schooling with two dimensions of school adjustment: social adaptation and academic achievement. Observational data was collected from father-child rough-and-tumble play sessions filmed in family homes when children were average age of 4 years. Fathers completed the Family Involvement Questionnaire on parent involvement in child schooling, and teachers completed the Social Behaviour Questionnaire and the Teacher Report form to assess social adaptation, and the Teacher Rating Scale to assess academic achievement when children (40 boys; 32 girls) were average age of 8 years. Boys demonstrated more externalising behaviours at school when during rough-and-tumble play fathers let them direct the play. Boys were more prosocial at school when their fathers were more involved in school-based activities, while girls demonstrated more internalising behaviours at school when their fathers were less involved in home-based learning activities. Moreover, boys performed less well academically when fathers demonstrated more negative reactions than boys, the dyad demonstrated more upset terminations, and boys demonstrated more fear and less anger during rough-and-tumble play. Girls performed less well academically when during rough-and-tumble play fathers made more rules and fewer positive reactions towards them. Neither boys' nor girls' academic achievement was related to any type of fathers' school involvement. The study fills a gap in understanding the ways in which father involvement influences children's school adjustment according to the children's sex.

Two parenting capacity assessment (PCA) protocols, with a short parent-child intervention embedded in each protocol, evaluated the potential for enhanced parenting to orient child placement decision. Parents (n = 69), with substantiated reports of maltreatment by child protective services, and their children (0-6) were randomly assigned to one of two PCAs with either the Attachment Video-feedback (PCA-AVI) or a psychoeducational intervention (PCA-PI) as the embedded intervention component. The PCA-AVI group showed the highest increases in parent-child interaction quality at post-test. Also, at PCA completion, evaluators' conclusions about the parents' capacity to care for both PCA groups were associated with parent-child interactive improvements at post-test, the court's placement decision at post-test, and child placement one year later. However, only conclusions drawn by PCA-AVI evaluators were predictive of child re-reports of maltreatment in the year following PCA. PCAs, relying on short attachment interventions to assess the potential for enhanced parenting, are promising tools to orient child placement decisions.

Objective: A meta-analysis was carried out to determine whether there are sex differences among children and adolescents with ADHD on the primary symptoms of ADHD and on executive and attentional functioning. Method: Studies published from 1997 to 2017 comparing boys and girls with a valid ADHD diagnosis were retained. Results: The meta-analysis found boys with ADHD to be more hyperactive than girls with ADHD and boys to have more difficulties in terms of motor response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Results also confirm that youths with ADHD have more executive deficits than non-ADHD peers have, but there is no sex difference in this regard. Conclusion: Results show that there are sex differences in the behavioral expression of the difficulties related to ADHD. This highlights the importance of pursuing research to refine the profile of girls with ADHD and to develop diagnostic criteria adapted to each sex.

The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between marital and parental conflict resolution tactics, as reported by mothers and fathers of families with children aged from 4 to 6 years old. A community-based sample from South Brazil of 300 participants (150 women and 150 men), constituting heterosexual couples, answered the following instruments: Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) and Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTSPC). Through statistical analysis involving a set of MANOVAS, it was found that the combined parental conflict resolution tactics of Non-Violent Discipline, Psychological Aggression and Corporal Punishment successfully differed the groups of mothers and fathers regarding the practices of Negotiation, Psychological Aggression and Physical Violence in marital relationship. The results refer to the spillover effect, indicating that the tension of the couple’s conflictive interactions overflows to the parental relationship.

Cette étude présente la validation d’un instrument d’évaluation de l’adaptation sociale en psychiatrie (Q-ASP). Cet instrument utilise la méthode du tri de cartes Q, car elle présente plusieurs avantages pour les cliniciens qui travaillent en situation de vécu partagé et d’observation participante. Elle permet de construire un instrument qui s’adapte au contexte de pratique de ces professionnels en fournissant des données qualitatives et quantitatives. L’instrument permet une évaluation valide de l’adaptation sociale dans un contexte de réadaptation psychiatrique de patients qui présentent un risque de violence et de toxicomanie. La méthodologie repose sur l’évaluation de 33 patients. Les résultats liés à la validité du Q-ASP démontrent un bon indice de fidélité interjuges (r=0,70), une excellente stabilité (r=0,95) et une bonne validité de convergence avec le HoNOS (r=0,62). Des experts ont pu s’entendre (r=0,81) pour décrire un profil optimal d’un patient suffisamment adapté pour vivre dans la communauté. Le principal avantage de cet instrument est qu’il permet de dresser un profil comportemental qui identifie les facteurs de risque et de protection liés à l’adaptation sociale de patients psychiatriques.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue investigar la relación entre tácticas de resolución de conflictos conyugales y parentales, reportadas por las madres y por los padres, en familias con niños de 4 a 6 años. Se trata de una muestra comunitária de familias provenientes del sur de Brasil, compuesta por 300 participantes (150 mujeres y 150 hombres), de parejas heterosexuales que respondieron individualmente a los siguientes instrumentos: Cuestionario Sociodemográfico, Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) y Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTSPC). Por medio de análisis estadísticos que involucran un conjunto de MANOVAS, se constató que las tácticas de resolución de conflictos parentales de Disciplina No Violenta, Agresión Psicológica y Punición Corporal combinadas distinguieron con éxito los grupos de madres y padres, en lo que se refiere a la práctica de Negociación, Agresión Psicológica y Violencia Física, en la relación conyugal. Los resultados remiten al efecto spillover, indicando que la tensión de las interacciones conflictivas de la pareja transborda la relación parental.

The culture and social contexts are important in the investigation of aspects related to human development. The objective was to present theoretical and methodological considerations, based on our experience related to a research carried out by Brazilian and Canadian researchers, on the procedures adopted in the scientific literature involving the Transcultural Psychology and Developmental Psychology, pointing challenges and possibilities of overcoming them. The importance of adequacy of research for different cultures was stressed and it is recommended be attentive to the following: definition of the research topic, choice of the measuring instrument, definition of the construct, instrument adaptation, training researchers and pilot study. Indication criteria of this nature aims to improve the systematization and description of cross-cultural studies in Developmental Psychology, in order to make possible to produce consistent and valid results.

Nombre de recherches tentent de comprendre les phénomènes présents dans les relations entre individus. Que ce soit en utilisant des questionnaires, des entrevues ou des vignettes, il est difficile de mesurer ces phénomènes. L’observation systématique est une méthode possible qui permet de décrire une situation avec une certaine objectivité. Cet article fait état des considérations théoriques et méthodologiques entourant l’observation dans un contexte scolaire et présente les étapes de développement d’une grille d’observation mesurant les comportements des enseignants face aux troubles du comportement manifestés par des enfants présentant une déficience intellectuelle.